The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is appointed
under Standing Order No 152 to examine the expenditure, administration
and policy of the Northern Ireland Office; administration and
expenditure of the Crown Solicitor's Office (but excluding individual
cases and advice given by the Crown Solicitor); and other matters
within the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland (but excluding the expenditure, administration and policy
of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Northern
Ireland and the drafting of legislation by the Office of the Legislative
Counsel).
The Committee consists of a maximum of thirteen Members,
of whom the quorum is four. Unless the House otherwise orders,
all Members nominated to the Committee continue to be members
of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
The Committee has power:
(a) to send for persons, papers and
records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House,
to adjourn from place to place, and to report from time to time;
(b) to appoint persons with technical knowledge
either to supply information which is not readily available or
to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee's order
of reference;
(c) to communicate to any other committee appointed
under the same Standing Order (or to the Committee of Public Accounts
and to the Deregulation Committee) its evidence and any other
documents relating to matters of common interest;
(d) to meet concurrently with any other such
Committee for the purposes of deliberating, taking evidence, or
considering draft reports; or with the European Scrutiny Committee
or any Sub-Committee thereof, for the purposes of deliberating
or taking evidence.
The membership of the Committee since its nomination
on 28 July 1997 has been as follows:
Mr Peter Brooke (Chairman)
Mr Harry Barnes | Mr Stephen McCabe |
Mr Roy Beggs | (added 9.11.98) |
Mr Desmond Browne | Mr Eddie McGrady |
(discharged 9.11.98) | Mr Tony McWalter |
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson | Ms Margaret Moran |
Mr John Grogan | (discharged 19.2.98) |
Mr Stephen Hesford | Mr Stephen Pound |
(added 19.2.98) | (added 14.6.99) |
Mr Andrew Hunter | Mr Peter Robinson |
Mr Ken Livingstone | Mr Martin Salter |
(discharged 14.6.99) | |
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